I Love You Because
by Spunky Kitten
Summary: As the clock ticks down to midnight, Marinette and Adrien explain why they fell in love with each other. Two-shot.
1. Marinette

**I didn't do a Christmas special because I honestly had no idea what to do. But now the new year is around the corner, and I felt the need to make an end-of-the-year fic overflowing with fluff and cheesy love. Also, I'm making predictions on future Season 2 episodes based on the fan wiki. So here it is!**

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When Marinette first fell in love, it was with a gentle soul. He didn't make the best first impression on her, even though it was all a misunderstanding. She defined him by his status as a model and as Chloe's friend, not even considering what was on the inside. But then the unexpected happened.

She remembered the day well. Rain drizzled down for the sky, the slow start to what would be a passing storm. She stood outside of the school where it was dry. Believing it wouldn't rain was a mistake on her part, thus leading her to leave her umbrella and needing to wait out the rain. When he approached her, she turned away. But he wasn't deterred by her behavior and went on to explain himself and the situation that caused her coldness towards him. She was impressed by his maturity and his desire to clear the air with her. But when he turned and offered his umbrella, something within in shook. It was a good kind of shaking, though.

And from then on, she was hooked. She was addicted to the butterflies he caused in her chest. Just saying his name was enough to send her into happy giggles. One would assume from once glance that it was all just an infatuation caused by his gorgeous looks and a single act of kindness. But Marinette knew it went much deeper than that. Every day, she saw more reasons why her heart was right to pick Adrien. He was loyal to his friends, even if that included Chloe. But he was far too good to throw anyone under the bus or give the cold shoulder. There weren't a lot of people like that in the world anymore. He was selfless; always giving to others when he could've took the time for himself. He lent a hand to anyone in need, no matter what. He was caring, cheering her up whenever she felt blue.

Adrien was an amazing person down to his core. Marinette knew that was a difficult thing to achieve considering his home life. He was lonely and sad. His father was rarely made time for him and left him to his own devices—okay, he had Nathalie, but personal assistants don't really count—almost always. When she first stepped into the Agreste mansion, she could feel the chill. It was a cold place to be. So, she offered for him to stay as long as he wanted in her nice warm bakery, giving him the warmth his house lacked.

The second time she fell in love, it was with a flirty yet witty individual who made it his mission to keep the smile on her face. Chat Noir started coming around and visiting in the evening just after Luka, Juleka's brother, was akumatized and went after, which in turn forced Chat to protect her for most of the day. He tried hiding her away at the Louvre—she felt the sense of déjà vu since that's the exact place she hid Adrien—but that plan flopped, and Marinette was left with a low chance of being alone to transform. She admits now that she acted rashly when she dove in to take a hit for Chat Noir when an akumatized Luka had attacked him.

When Chat Noir had first visited, she predicted it was to make sure her injuries were okay. She was a little touched by his concerned, her perception of him being nothing but a flirt slowly dissipating over the years of working with him as Ladybug. He stayed and comforted her, listened to her, and joked around with her for a while. As the days went by, Marinette showed more of her true colors unlike the fangirl façade she put up when they first met. They would drink hot cocoa and tell funny stories. They would play video game; she clobbered him every time. They would even sit on her balcony and do some stargazing with whatever they could make out from years of city smog permeating the sky.

She never felt freer. Marinette was more able to let loose around Chat Noir; no acts to put up. She could crack her sassy jokes and Chat never judged her if she let herself be vulnerable in his presence. It was quite the opposite. He seemed to treasure those moments, seeing her so willingly putting her trust in him where she allowed him to see her at her lowest moments without fear. Chat was like a second home to her. He was admittedly funny when he told more than just puns. He was warm literally and metaphorically. He was able to melt her exterior and see what really lay within.

When Marinette learned she actually fell in love with two halves of a whole, she was shocked to say the least. It was Chat Noir that first discovered her secret identity as Ladybug. He looked so overjoyed about the fact. She learned later on that it was because he fell in love with both sides of her too. And when she learned Chat Noir was also Adrien, they both started laughing at how stupid they've been, never realizing the one they loved most was by their side all along. They constantly rejected each other for, well, each other!

Marinette and Adrien officially started dating a few days after this major revelation. Everyone liked to make gagging noises at what a sickeningly cute couple they were. This, of course, was after the whole school cheered about "their otp" finally happening. Even Chloe gave up pursuing Adrien, which absolutely _no one_ expected. She even threatened Marinette that she'd go after her if she didn't take good care of Adrien. After shaking out of her initial shock, Marinette offered a sunny smile and nodded. They sat together—shoulder to shoulder—every class they both had, partnering up for any partner work and the like. Alya still liked to take photos of them from her seat behind them.

Everything has led to now, on New Year's Eve. Marinette and Adrien were cuddling with a big blanket wrapped around them as they gazed out at the city from her balcony. As they waited for midnight, Adrien decided to ask a serious question.

"What made you fall in love with me?" he asked, curious for an answer.

Marinette giggled softly and snuggled closer to him. "Well, I fell in love with Adrien Agreste for his kindness and compassion. He makes me feel instant butterflies in my stomach when he offered a smile that was filled with genuine warmth. He is patient with silly old me when I'd stumble over my words rather than get annoyed. He showed such passion for a number of things that it made me want to stand by his side through it all. I fell in love with Chat Noir for the same reasons and more. He makes me laugh so freely, that I don't care if it wakes up the neighborhood. He comforts me when I'm down, giving his full attention to me and my problems, even if he can't give an answer on how to fix them. He is selfless, always protecting me from harm even though I can't stand seeing him get hurt. And finally, he treats me with respect and care. That's what made me fall in love with you."

Adrien just gazed at her, his mouth agape. The blunette couldn't help but giggle and placed his hands on his tan cheeks, closing his mouth and placing a tender kiss on his lips. "Now I feel obligated to ask. What made you fall in love with me?"

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 **There you go. My final work of 2017. Part 2 of this will come out tomorrow, on New Year's Day. See you all in 2018!**


	2. Adrien

**Happy New Year's everyone! My first piece of work of 2018 and I'm feeling great! I've really been using my free time productively so far and I'm happy that I'm not just sitting around.**

 **So here is the next and final chapter! Enjoy!**

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The first time he fell in love, it was with a strong and confident girl. She was a vision in red, soaring around the city sky with her yoyo. She was a brave soul, stepping up to the challenge when things got rough. Her sarcasm and wit at times only made her much more endearing. Some would've thought it was just the adrenaline rush or the near-death experiences that made her that more appealing. But Adrien knew what he felt. And he was in love with Ladybug. She was intelligent, bold, quick on her feet, charming, kind, and simply perfect in his eyes.

Yes, she made her mistakes, but she always fixed them in the end. She recognized that she made mistakes at the very least. That was more than he could ask for. He never gave up on her. With the mask on, he gained confidence. With that confidence, he tended to flirt to no end. He had a feeling that it wasn't coming across that every would he said was the truth and it all came from the heart. But he still did it. She would push him back with a witty remark and sometimes she even flirted back. Those moments gave him all he needed to keep persisting for her attention and love. Idolization was present, but he knew is heart was real in the end.

Ladybug was Adrien's everything. Without her very existence, he would most definitely be miserable. He was her counterpart, even if she saw it as being heroes and nothing beyond that. He was the misfortune to her luck, the destruction to her creation. He trusted her with his very life. He would even give his up to preserve hers. That was the extent of his love. She meant more to him than his own existence.

The second time he fell in love, it was with a shy and quirky girl who proved that there was more than meets the eye. Adrien admits now that his jealousy was what made him finally stop running in a circle of denial. When he firsts met Luka and how Marinette responded to his mere presence, his blood started to boil. Having limited social interaction growing up, Adrien was confused by these feelings. He didn't believe it to be jealousy, since he didn't think he had any romantic feelings for Marinette. But that all changed when Luka was akumatized and went after Marinette for reasons he wasn't informed about.

He protected her most of the day, hiding her in different places whenever an akumatized Luka would find her. He was even more in shock when Marinette dove for him and pushed him out of the way of an oncoming attack. She hurt her arm in the process, which left him in shock. No one ever suffered an injury on his behalf before, not even Ladybug. Granted, he was always the one pushing her out of the way, but still. Marinette's injury caused him a great deal of guilt, so he protected her with more conviction. Eventually, Ladybug arrived after he hid Marinette safely away in the Louvre and they purified to akuma. But his job was far from over.

When Ladybug was gone, he immediately went back to the Louvre to search for Marinette, but she wasn't there. In a panic, he rushed to her house and sighed in relief when he found her there. He dropped in on her and asked about her injury. She smiled and said it was fine thanks to Ladybug's magic. She even apologized when he told her he panicked when he didn't find her at her hiding spot. Marinette claimed that she wanted to get out of the way in case Luka did show up for her and she never meant to startle him. After that one exchange, Adrien was hooked.

Chat Noir would bound across the Parisian rooftops to reach Marinette's balcony night after night. They would play games together, joke around, and share a snack or two. She was much more articulate with his alter ego than she was with her civilian self. He didn't know why though. But seeing this side of his friend made something stir within him, something that made his earlier sense of jealousy more rational. He was falling for Marinette and her irresistible charms. He found himself gazing longingly whenever she laughed at something he said. He would daydream about her in class sometimes, making subtle glances behind him. Luckily, everyone was too busy to notice him. He would speak her name like a prayer, because it just felt right on his tongue.

But then, he realized something. His love for Ladybug and Marinette made him so confused. He could only imagine how Marinette felt as well. If he did love her more than Ladybug, should he charm her as Adrien or Chat Noir? But he needed to decide who he loved more before he jumped to that stage. It was laughable how in the end none of those agonizing thoughts mattered.

When Adrien learned he fell in love with two halves of a whole, he almost wanted to laugh in hysteria. The girls he loved were one in the same, after all! All those sleepless nights tossing and turning on the issue of where his heart lied just went up in smoke. They were the same amazing, gorgeous, adorable, and smart girl he was so fond of. The day he revealed his identity as Adrien and Chat Noir, Marinette laughed right along with him. They were just a pair of idiots in love.

He asked her out a few days later, and she excitedly agreed. The whole school was buzzing about the new "power couple." He even learned about the bets his classmates made when wondering how long until Marinette and Adrien finally became an item. Honestly, it was cute to find out how long his girlfriend had been in love with him. It was the reason she stuttered so much, which he always found kind of endearing. They sat together, holding hands, every class they both had. Adrien thought he'd have to protect Marinette from Chloe, but Chloe proved to be a good friend that valued Adrien's happiness over having him for herself.

Everything has led to now, on New Year's Eve. Marinette and Adrien were cuddling with a big blanket wrapped around them as they gazed out at the city from her balcony. As they waited for midnight, Adrien blurted out a question that was on his mind since the beginning of his relationship with the wonderful girl next to him. "What made you fall in love with me?" He almost didn't want to say it. But then he remembered she couldn't have possible fallen in love with him for his looks. After all, she didn't care about his status or his looks when she believed he put gum on her seat. So, he didn't worry as much. But he would be lying if he said his jaw didn't drop to the floor when Marinette began listing off all the amazing qualities she saw in him. Whether his face was red because of the cold or her words, he didn't care. Adrien never felt more loved than when she gently kissed him after finishing her little speech.

Then the inevitable came. She said, "Now I feel obligated to ask. What made you fall in love with me?"

Adrien smiled his lovesick smile, his answer crystal clear. "I fell in love with Ladybug for her bravery and her strength. I fell for her intelligence and her wit. She was also kind, caring about others and trying to understand the akuma victims and their struggles. She made her mistakes, yes, but she always owned up to them and did everything in her power to fix them. Everything about her was just so perfect to me. I fell in love with Marinette for all those reasons and more. I assumed Marinette was simply the skittish type when it came to warming up around people. I also thought it was kinda cute too. She's creative and awe-inspiring. Whenever I see her drive towards her fashion projects, it makes me want to work harder on finding and pursuing my goals in life. She's also adorable when she scrunches up her nose when thinking hard on a new design. She's protective, never afraid to stand up to a bully when her friend is being belittled. She's selfless and caring, bringing a smile to anyone's face when they're down. I know from both watching and experience. Her laugh is irresistible, and my heart just melts. And she has the cutest pigtails that go so well with the freckles on her nose. That's why I love you."

He gaped when he saw tears in her eyes, but before he could apologize for whatever he might've said, she launched herself at him, keeping him in a tight embrace. She kissed his face, and he felt every ounce of her love in each kiss. He smiled happily and planted a kiss on her soft pink lips, the booming sounds of fireworks resonating throughout the city as the clock struck midnight. A new year awaited them, filled with adventures and love. They weren't going to waste a single second this time.

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 **I'm hoping 2018 will be a much better year. I'm going to work hard and make sure you guys don't wait too long on my stories this year. I can't promise anything because school and family are priorities, but I will definitely try. Let's make 2018 a great year!**

 **This concludes this story! In the meantime, read up on some of my other ones. #shamelesspromo**


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